My Classroom and Educational Philosophy:
- I love all of my students. I cherish the time that we spend together and they will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart.
- I run a student-led classroom. That sounds a lot scarier than it really is! I want to help students to learn to be responsible, to be problem solvers, to be decision makers, to be collaborators and to be able to resolve conflict. I will train and guide them, but ultimately I will allow students to make mistakes and learn from them.
- I think that students learn more when they set personal goals and track their progress towards achieving these goals. For this reason, students will be keeping academic data charts and working as a class to set daily goals. We celebrate when goals are met through the use of brag tags rather than candy or treasure box.
- I believe that learning should be fun. I don't think worksheets are fun and so I use them sparingly. Instead, we will use interactive notebooks, task card scoots, projects and games.
- I believe that students NEED to talk. Talking accesses a part of their brain that helps to increase memorization. It also increases the engagement of a student. I will show students how to teach one another and give them ample opportunity everyday to talk in a way that will not take away, but add to, our productivity.
- I believe students need to be challenged. Our curriculum is not easy. However, every student will be given the tools needed to succeed and I think you will be impressed by their growth.
- Every student is unique and has different needs. For this reason the majority of my reading and math instruction will happen in small groups rather than whole group.
- I believe that school projects (science fair, book reports, etc) should be done in class. Students need to play and spend time with family when they are at home. I do assign homework, but I work hard to be sure that homework does not take too long or cause undue stress on the family.
- I believe that the classroom teacher, parents and students form a team. When the team communicates and works together, the student grows significantly more. Therefore, I will communicate with you regularly and let you know how you can assist your child at home.
New and Exciting Changes:
- I started this classroom blog to help increase parent communication! I will do my best to blog regularly about activities and units we are covering in class. I will also include posts to assist you in understanding our curriculum. Things have changed since we were in school and I never want you to feel like you don't have the skills needed to help your child. With your permission, I would love to post pictures from our day. I know you can't always be here and I don't want you to miss out on the fun!
- I created a class Pinterest account. I have boards designed to help YOU! Check it out and be sure to follow! Click HERE.
- I am implementing a character trait program. Each month, we will focus on a different character trait. Students will be given opportunities to practice the trait at home and at school. I will blog more about this soon!
- I wanted the weekly class newsletter to be useful to students. Therefore, students will be given the newsletter to keep in their binder. It contains a checklist of their nightly homework tasks as well as classroom needs and reminders. Check binders for the first newsletter on Monday, July 27th.
- The entire school is participating in a collegiate program. Students will earn "degrees" based on attendance, behavior and academics. We will be showing spirit in class for our college too. I am excited to announce that we will be the Oregon Ducks! More info on this program will be coming soon.
Just typing out this post has gotten me so very excited to meet each of you tomorrow at open house. Welcome to the team!
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